Australian Education Minister Tackles the Cyber Bullying Issue at National Forum

Parents, students and teachers in Australia were invited to a national forum to voice their ideas on stamping out bullying. School Education Minister Peter Garrett held the meeting of experts at Parliament House in order to debate ideas proposed by the community. “The forum will look at how parents and schools can work together, what strategies have been successful that other schools can learn from, and how parents can help by teaching their kids that bullying is unacceptable,” Mr Garrett said.

Mr Garrett said statistics showed one in six students were bullied weekly and one in five had been a victim of cyber bullying and the effects could be devastating. “We can’t ignore the damage that school bullying inflicts,” he said. “We have a worldwide challenge, with new technologies making bullying easier and spreading its reach beyond the school gate. The problem no longer stops and starts with the school bell.”